this is only just the beginning ... disgraceful
Pay2Win made it to Elite
- Thread starter Einar Donarsson
- Start date
OK, let's talk about the AX ship. The same one that CMDR Mechan of the XSF has heavily criticised for being at best an unfocused design and at worst a path to frustration.
I don't see any advantages offered that couldn't be more effectively gained from just looking up player-made guides and playing the game.
If that's your take then that's your take. I don't agree, but I respect it. As consumers we're all free to make our own judgements as to what we feel crosses a line and doesn't.
I feel like I've enjoyed many years of Elite Dangerous. I feel it's my go-to game, even if I take breaks every now and then. I feel that my friends and I want to continue enjoying this amazing product that has brought us together and given us countless hours of enjoyment. I feel the proposed changes to monetisation warrant caution, but aren't currently game-ending, nor undermine the enjoyment I have had and will continue to have in the Elite galaxy. I wish for another decade of pratting about in ships, having laughs, exploring, mining, and pew-pew.
Within certain legal and other constraints not that much.
There are several.
Breaking the law, the others are my business.
Most of us have standards but we don’t all expect other people or companies to match or exceed them.
For you obviously not.
The line is already blurred because people disagree on exactly what is fair.
Here, here.
I've played this since the day one and left 6-7 years ago, already tired of mindless grind for mats and better rolls, when the AX came and we all realized our great builds are worthless against Thargoids, and we must start grinding for completely different builds. Mutually exclusive.
I've returned a couple of months back, found out AX is the main thing now - and I'm clueless and without a single weapon or build needed there. Should I start that from the scratch? Sorry, no way I'd put myself through that again.
Now this "AX pre-made ship" is EXACTLY what I need. With just enough new anti-AX thingies to feel what's it like, and is it worth going deep.
So you have two (I guess large) groups who are eager: returning pre-AX veterans, and new players.
Good move, Frontier
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its a precedent. it creates the slippery slope. While the current changes (while still being P2W) aren't game changing, there will be a time when a certain prebuilt ship gives a significant advantage and is completely unbalanced. And Frontier will probably have their hands tied around balancing the prebuild because people have already bought it. And soon it will be the meta in order to create the best PvP/PvE ship in the most reasonable amount of time, probably skipping 10's of hours of grind. It doesn't require much thinking in order to see where this will inevitably go. The can of worms has been opened and its just a matter of time before the rot spreads throughout the entire game.
I find that kind of childish, I mean yes the game is not what it could have been, but wishing it closed is a bit over the top, P2W is not buying ships for money, ED is still skill based
and if FDEV would stop adding content no one wants and actually implementing what they promised 10 years ago they would actually make money and not need to beg for money all the time. I blame FDEV for painting themselves into a corner, poor management of the game led to this situation, not the "you can now buy ships for real money".
In case of SC, it's a totally different ballgame, people were buying a promise of getting a ship one day, not the same situation.
Slippery slope is a fallacy. Just because the monetisation scheme could get worse, doesn't mean that it inevitably will. Otherwise any game with monetisation would have become like the most exploitative gacha game.
The guardian weapons are highly situational and from the comments AX pilots are giving also not a good fit for the Chieftain as such ... and can't be moved to another ship they'd be more useful on either.
The drives, sure, if you wanted a Chieftain anyway you could get the prebuild, strip out all the questionable AX stuff, and have saved yourself 100 million credits and 5-10% of the engineering materials. Still only marginal benefit for established players, and not a huge boost for a beginner.
Frankly my main objection to this stuff is that it's potentially tricking beginners who don't know better into spending a substantial amount of cash on things they could get better versions of in-game in less time than it took them to earn the out-of-game cash.
Then why didn't you quit when the Kickstarter backers got discounted rebuys, a bunch of free ships, etc.
Or when early backers got access to the Cobra IV (sure, you think it's useless; would you be absolutely fine with this if the AX ship was an even worse build?)
That's when the precedent was set, not last week.
We're just a step further down the slippery slope now and now your line has been crossed.
The thing is, why should I stop playing now because of what Frontier will do in six months / two years / five years time? When I hate it then, I can quit then, no harm done.
I haven't given Frontier any money for Elite since before they introduced ARX (LEP + I buy so few cosmetics that the in-game ARX easily covers them + I'm not the sort of person who just throws superfluous money at for-profit companies because I like the brand), I'm certainly not going to spend even my free ARX reserves on any of this new stuff, and the last time I interacted with another player directly in game was years ago, so it's not as if me stopping playing affects anyone other than me anyway.
Also forgetting the 5k light years needed to unlock palin. Ye no biggie. Not a huge boost for beginners sure!
Once again, using the Cobra or Kickstarter bonuses as an excuse for introducing further exploitative P2W is just embarrassing (the difference between the cobra and engineered modules as an advantage is huge). Next youll be saying "yeah add even more grind to the game because theres already plenty of grind in the game so lets add more". Ridiculous logic
No one said you should stop playing ...
This right there, I 100% agree. But things are what they are today, no turning back the clock. And then an end in horror is better than horror without end.
You forgot the haters, lurkers and trolls not all of whom will be shills despite how much they talk up other games.
Of course the community isn’t what it was four years ago nothing is people have dropped out for reasons including life and the game, others have joined and some have even rejoined.
For that one module on that one ship? If they want that for any other non pre-build they'll still have to go through the Engineering unlock process. Buying the pre-build doesn't unlock the engineer at get them to Level 5. If anything it'll show that newbie why putting the effort into Engineering is worth it. Hey, want that fancy mod on your new credit bought ship that you've got an idea for? Go do some legwork.
didnt say it would unlock the engineer. And you think it will teach this player to grind to obtain the same thing they purchased with money? Nah, ill skip the grind thanks and purchase what I need off the inevitable engineered module market on the arx store.
Lets not talk about CMDR Mechan's opinon about a newb ship build.
He's criticizing it from his own perspective as a top 1% pilot.
However, no matter what CMDR Mechan is saying about that Arx Chieftain, i can tell you that ship is much much better than the Starter Sidewinder or an E-C rated Adder.
Because that AX Chief, purchased for real money is not for the player that progressed his account enough to afford a Chieftain in game, but for the newb that barely got out of the Sidewinder into their next ship.
Tell you what, when we get to that point you're more than welcome to come back and say "told you so!". I'll take the egg on my face like a champ. It's taken us ten years to get to where we're at, maybe what you think will happen will do so sooner, maybe it won't at all. Neither of us actually know. You're ready to get off at the next stop? That's your right, and I wish you the best. I'm willing to ride it out a bit longer and see where we end up.didnt say it would unlock the engineer. And you think it will teach this player to grind to obtain the same thing they purchased with money? Nah, ill skip the grind thanks and purchase what I need off the inevitable engineered module market on the arx store.
didnt say it would unlock the engineer. And you think it will teach this player to grind to obtain the same thing they purchased with money? Nah, ill skip the grind thanks and purchase what I need off the inevitable engineered module market on the arx store.
Paul said the module is stuck to the ship, so no "i can store it and put it on my next ship" but that doesnt exclude the fact they can never have to unlock Palin if they keep buying store ships.
However... i dont think this type of players would live long in the game and they would have not made it far in the game anyway (before the store ships).
So, in a very blunt and cynical way, i can look at it as: if they want to throw their money at ED, so be it. Especially if this helps me enjoy ED longer than otherways.
But, while i regard this stage as harmless for serious player that would stick with the game for long anyways, it can go sideways really quick if they add all sorts of payed fast-tracks while making it harder to achieve the same results without opening the wallet.
Did he actually say that though?
That would suck even if the builds were good, which they are absolutely not.
While I don’t disagree with the bulk of your post I believe you are wrong about us all having zero rebuy ships I at least can’t think of one I have that is a zero rebuy, I started in the base game eight years ago and “sold” that Sidewinder at least 7 years ago.
I admire how optimistic you are that this will earn FDev enough money to continue with the idea.
The ownership of an unlocked item in the game, mine were the smaller Federal ship, doesn’t mean you can get more without achieving the unlock.
Yep.Did he actually say that though?
That would suck even if the builds were good, which they are absolutely not.